The week before his band Guns ‘N Roses is to be inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Axl Rose has released a letter written to the hall rejecting his nomination into the shrine and telling them that he won’t be attending. He has even asked that the hall specifically not include him in name or image when they induct the band.
Some people are saying that Axl Rose is an immature idiot. Others are giving him credit for standing by his personal ethics. No matter what your opinion is, you can learn from Axl Rose.
GENERATING BRAND BUZZ
Everyone is talking about Axl Rose today. That hasn’t happened in a long, long time. He has gotten his name in the press in a major way. But… consider the massive buzz a one time Guns ‘N Roses reunion would have created had Axl showed up, accepted the honor, and joined his estranged former bandmates for a jam session. The Police did it in 2003, playing together for the first time in two decades. It was magical.
REINFORCING YOUR BRAND IMAGE
Snubbing an organization like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame is, well, pretty damn rock ‘n’ roll of him. By doing this, Axl builds up his anti-establishment image. Not that it needed building up, considering his past behavior. But… there’s bad-boy behavior and then there is just being an a**hole. Plenty of people would suggest this borders on the latter. Notoroious bad boys like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, AC/DC, The Ramones, and many others are in and they all accepted their awards with class and grace.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Is Axl Rose a genius for standing pat on his beliefs? Or is Axl Rose a petulant punk for blowing off the rock hall?
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5 Responses to “Axl Rose: Brilliant or Bonehead?”
I firmly believe that Axl is not doing anything but hurting his image, and unfortunately, the image of Guns ‘N’ Roses.
It’s been a challenge for a while, but I feel most of us have been able to separate GNR of the past 16-ish years with the original and amazing line-up that will always be Guns ‘N’ Roses. BUT, with antics such as these, it is becoming harder and harder to retain the memory and magic (i.e., brand) of that original feeling we all had as a result of all things GNR.
This is sad, and is helping no one.
Axl Rose is simply a cry baby. Always has been and seems like he always will be. When you are in a band you can’t have the “my way or the highway” attitude 100% of the time. How many times has Axl disrespected his band mates and most importantly his fans? He cares about only one thing – himself and his personal feelings and ideas.
It’s probably for the best anyway. If Axl were there to lead the Guns N Roses induction, he would probably be an hour or two late anyway.
I agree with John that Axl has tarnished their legacy as a premiere rock and roll band. I used to like GnR and now I could honestly care less thanks to Axl.
Thanks for the great post on your blog, it really gives me an insight on this topic.I hope we can share this video http://newsartic.info/video/8240/axl-rose-is-so-gorgeous-/
I don’t get how he came across like a dick in that letter to be honest, the HOF… Who actually cares about that? Except for americans and let’s be real here, fans are only pissed cause this was the last chance ever of seeing Axl Rose and Slash on the same stage.
At the end, I guess all I’m saying is that IMO there’s absolutely nothing wrong with choosing what you feel and believe it’s better for you and sticking to it.
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